Mundie Moms

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Book Review: The Girl of Fire & Thorns



Published by: Harper Teen
Released on: September 20th, 2011 TODAY
Source: ARC from publisher to review
5 stars- This is a MUST Read

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.


Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who needs her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do- quoted from Goodreads

An enthralling debut! Rae Carson's beautiful story telling is memorizing, enticing and completely addicting. Once I started reading this enchanting story I couldn't stop. Her world building is vividly detailed, her characters well written and realistically portrayed and her storyline is engrossing. The Girl of Fire & Thorns is a fabulous blend of fantasy, adventure, love, friendship, magic, war and so much more.

I don't even know where to begin my review. There are so many things that I loved about this book and I was totally blown away with it. Really this book is a complete package of awesomeness. Everything about this book drew me in and made me feel like I was apart of the story, and I credit that to Rae's writing talent. Rae drew me in emotionally and mentally, because she's not afraid to test her characters. She gives them grief, heartache, love, terror, confusion, pain, doubt, and she's not afraid to make them hurt and suffer. Through that, I was able to relate to them more and see the changes and the growth the characters make through out the story. For me, Elisa was the character who stole the show.

Elisa is an amazingly, well written character. I love that I was able to relate to her and feel the emotions she felt. I admire her and her strength and courage she has through out the story. I know I'm being vague on certain events that shape her character and who she becomes, but I really don't want to spoil her story for anyone. Elisa is a true heroine! Her character arc is one of the best ones I've read this year. Can I just say that I love that Rae created a character who isn't the skinny, drop dead gorgeous girl. Not saying Elisa isn't beautiful, but I love that despite everything going on around her, deep down she's really just a normal girl who isn't worried about her waste line and enjoys eating a delicious pasty every now and then.

With the rich mythology, history and well done religious undertones, Rae was able to introduce a great cast of secondary characters. Some characters I loved, some I despised, some shocked me and I liked the like Elisa, Rae kept me on my toes with trying to figure out who's a friend and who's the enemy. I enjoyed the twists that are thrown into the story, and romance that's present through out. Really I should say love that's through out the story, because there's varies element of love that are touched on with a couple different guys. One of the relationships that I adored was the love and respect that Elisa and Alejandro have for each other. I won't say anymore about them other than their relationship is really unique and I enjoyed watching how it blossomed.

This is one of those books that never gave me a moment to sit back and wonder what the heck was going on. It's constantly moving and I felt like I was watching a movie with the way everything unfolded. The storyline is well paced, full of action and it held my attention the entire time. It's one of those books that as soon as I finished it, I wanted to re-read it, and I'm still thinking about it long after I've read it. It's definitely a WOW book for me and one I highly recommend picking up. I am so thrilled to know this is only the first book in what I think will be a very popular trilogy.
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Rae is having a LAUNCH PARTY TONIGHT at Cover to Cover Bookstore that starts at 6:30 pm! The address is:

3560 North Night Street
Columbus, OH 43214

If you're like us and wish you lived closer to this event, I'm pretty sure you can call the store and order a copy of the book & Rae will sign it. I need to go find where I saw that posted at & link to it for you guys.

Be sure to come back and visit us on the 22nd as Rae will be stopping by the blog to answer a few of our questions per Harper Teen's The Girl of Fire & Thorns blog tour. We can't wait for that!

Twitter Tuesday - Goodreads Giveaway of 100 Clockwork Prince ARCs

Cassie tweeted the goodreads giveaway of 100 Clockwork Prince ARCs and all I have to add is .... go, go, go and enter. Keep in mind it's only open to U.S. residents because it's sponsored by Cassie's U.S. publisher, Simon & Schuster. Perhaps, the international publishers will follow suit.

In the mean time, Happy Tuesday!

Interview with Beautiful Days author, Anna Godbersen

Happy Release Day to Anna Godbersen's Beautiful Days, the sequel to Bright Young Things. I'm really excited Anna has stopped by the blog today!

For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes the second book in an epic series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.- quoted from Goodreads

You can read my 5 star review here


I really enjoyed Bright Young Things and I'm excited to read your sequel, Beautiful Days. I'm looking forward to finding out what's in store for Cordelia, Letty and Astrid. Which of the girls do you feel you relate to the most?


Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed the first book! I started out thinking of Cordelia as the character I was most like, but the other day I was writing a scene from the third book, THE LUCKY ONES, and I was feeling very Letty-ish. But then all of my charactersrepresent parts of my personality, Astrid too, and when I am trying to describe their inner experience, I draw from my own life.



Which character has grown the most over the course of Bright Young Things to Beautiful Days? How have they changed?


Probably Letty. I think that she is the most insecure of the three girls, the most dependent on other people’s opinions, the most susceptible to being pushed around. But her confidence and sense of herself keeps growing, as does her idea of the world around her.


I am so intrigued by the 1920's and I love how you described this era in yourseries. What is one of things that fascinates you about this era?


I love that it was this exuberant time, an era when all assumptions and rules of behavior got exploded. But then it’s also a sad time in a way—all of life can’t be a party, and this decade ends in a big crash, and I think that’s such a beautiful and melancholy metaphor for youth, for a lesson all of us learn at some point—as Joan Didion puts it in her famous essay “Goodbye to All That,” that “it is distinctly possible to stay too long at the Fair.”


When writing a series, do you find it more challengings or easier to write the second book? Why?


The second book is hard. The first one, so much of it is fleshing out your initial idea, the spark you had. And by the time you get to the last book, you really know where it’s going, and it’s so thrilling and exciting to see where fate has taken your characters. But the middle book can be tough—you have to keep all these things afloat, connect the beginning and the end. But I love the second books too, because you’ve set your characters up and you get to see what they do and who they are.


If you could spend the day with one author, who would that be?


Hemingway, of course! His quotes about what it is to be a writer, and how one should go about it, are some of my favorites, and he lived such a big, crazy life.


What's one of your favorite YA reads that you'd recommend to our followers?


The last time I was in my editor’s office, she handed me an advance copy of THE PROBABILITY OF MIRACLES by Wendy Wunder, which comes out in December, and I am LOVING it. She has such a sharp, smart voice, but then it’s also imbued with this profound compassion.



Thank you Anna for joining us today!


You can find out more about Anna by reading her Q&A and by visiting her website, her blog, and following her on twitter & facebook.


To find out more about The Bright Young Things series, please visit Anna's site.


You can purchase both Bright Young Things & Beautiful Days from Amazon| Barnes & Noble| Indie Bound

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